Sorry but I had to share. It sounds much better than I remember. I wired up the ignition this evening and started the +2 for the first time in a year. What a fantastic sound! It just ticked over really smoothly until I blipped the throttle - using the throttle pedal for the first time ever - and a lovely deep throaty cracking growl was emitted by the carbs. Fantastic! Then I got into the car - no seats, no dash, no brakes apart from handbrake, and steering wheel just pushed on, popped it into first gear, and drove it into the garage. It was a bit late so I didn’t leave it running too long - my neighbours and wife just don’t understand!
I want to get the brakes working again next - I’ve had issues with the servo so need to make up a bypass pipe for now.
And it’s so low to the ground - it’s been up on ramps for months, so it’s great to see it squatting back on the ground again.
I was too excited to make a vid of it running otherwise I’d have posted that.
Still grinning! Maybe you have to have been through a restoration to really understand.
Hi Sean, no restorations for me in the last twenty five years but I feel your joy. Pinot Grigio for everyone. Put a seat in it and drive around a bit. Bypass the servo forever, a +2 can stop perfectly without power brakes.
I’m lucky enough that my wife appreciates my infatuation with cars. SHE bought our first Peugeot, and now doesn’t want me to sell the S1 or +2, women, I love 'em.
Eric
Thanks guys. I’ve given the neighbours a break from the noise this weekend. I rinsed the bodywork off with a hose today - it’s all shiny again. Lovely.
I now have it running with the alternator wired in and the temperature guage working. I want to see that new radiator getting hot but haven’t left it running long enough yet.
Here’s a pic taken this evening. It’s making progress at last.
As it happens, my 5th (and probably final!) grandchild also came to life on Tuesday. She did not emit “a lovely deep throaty cracking growl” but her cry is just as sweet. Her four-year-old sister is the only kid delivered to her day care in a '66 Lotus and as such is the envy of her friends.
Hi Sean - we seem to have been on almost parallel paths in getting our cars running so it’s good to hear you’re getting so close. Alas I am now dependent upon, and waiting for, the uphostery guy. Soon, he says; soon.
I had the engine running with the temperature guage hooked up last night. It climbed steadily to just over 85C, then plumeted to about 83C before settling on 85C. The rad was nice and hot at the top, but a lot cooler in the exit pipe. So, it appears that the system is working really nicely. The combination of a nice big rad and a properly filled system courtesy of the modified thermostat housing seems to be working well. I drove it into the garage and managed to get all the gears. Phew, big relief.
On the thermostat housing, I fitted the bonnet when I first installed it, and there’s lots of clearance.
I can’t wait to get to the point where I’m fitting the carpets etc. That’ll be last to go in. I have a long way to go; hooking up the brakes with a bypass pipe; the new K&N air filter housing and ducting (file required on the bodywork for that one I’m afraid); fitting the windscreen wipers and washer nozzle; the dash wiring and new dash - all the dials need transferring across and new bezels and glass fitting; the felt around the fuel tank and the new fuel tank; building the door innards; re-hanging the doors; fitting the boot lid and associated metalwork; the headlights and rear lights; the rear wiring loom; the sill end plates; sticking rubber on the panels to stop them drumming; the rear screen; fit the new wheel rims.
Crikey. I can actually make a list that quickly now.
It’s very high at the back, so the final job on the list will be sorting out the suspension to make it ride at the correct height. Oh, and I suppose actually the touch up paint will be needed to remove those little nicks in the paintwork that only I could find, cause I made them.
I was so looking forward to making my own “It’s Alive!!!” post this weekend. But.
Step 1 - stop and get fuel and a couple of gallons of coolant - the concentrate stuff that you mix 50/50 with water.
Step 2 - add gallon of coolant. Fill container with water and continue carefully adding.
Step 2.5 - note small drizzle of liquid
Step 2.6 - check all hoses. Drizzle continues.
Step 2.7 - determine it’s the new radiator!! It’s just weeping steadily from a seam.
Step 3 - disconnect hoses attempting to guide semi-diluted coolant into a pan. Pan is losing the battle. Remove radiator, splashing a bit more coolant around.
Step 4 - spend rest of the afternoon cleaning up
Step 5 - consume soothing, mellowing beverages
Lesson of the Day: next time - test sytem with plain water, not concentrated coolant
Next Week: the repaired radiator AND the re-welded gas tank!!
Sorry to hear that Keith. Very frustrating for you. I’ve still got just water in mine and was wondering this afternoon how long I could leave it before a mix of some description should go in. My original rad seeped from a seam, despite looking brand new and having powder coated brackets.
I got the windscreen wiper motor installed. That’s an interesting assembly that doesn’t seem like it should work. Once all bolted up it’s very solid though. Sure the body’s going to crack around the pivots though. Can I face fibreglassing the underside and then sanding it to get the surfaces true? I think I’m going to have to. Bother.
Still. I drove it up and down the driveway again today, so that’s ok.
I also tried the bumpers for fit and they look like they’ll go straight on without any hassle. The manual mentions some rubber spacers. Ah? Can’t remember those. Never mind.
regarding coolant, may I recommend pre-mixing the antifreeze with water, preferably 40:60 ratio unless you’re anticipating very low ambient temperatures (-20?C or more); after that 50:50.
The pre-mixing is not so vital in the standard Elan cooling system but in systems using header tanks an increased concentration of antifreeze in the cooling system could occur (not good,see previous postings)) by adding water to the initial fill of antifreeze.
Thanks for the heads-up John. Temperatures here (NY North Shore, aka Lake Ontario) can range from -15 to 95F (calculating… -26 to 35C) or more so I figured proper coolant was a must for both extremes. But at this phase of the game, running a while with simple water sounds OK.
For anyone in this area, we’re sending the rad to BJ Radiator. They have worked with other restoration work and they are the ones where I needed an old, outdated part and they dug around to find it and charged me nothing. Good guys.
Sean - I am starting to feel “spooked” by this. You do something then I go and have it go wrong. We tested all the electronic components and when it came to the wipers they just wiggled before extremely bad smells came out of the motor. It’s not the drive part; I must have re-assembled the motor / bushings wrong somehow. I have decided that a call to Mr. Matty’s establishment is probably the best course of action at this point.
Dash pad done and headliner going in… let’s hope it stays reliable now.
It runs! Sounds great too… quite a difference from the old Elan and extremely different from my daughter’s Ford product with Zetec. Those Jenvey throttle bodies make as satisfying a noise as the exhaust.
Now, with power and vacuum, some things to work out… getting solenoid to work the headlights and getting various electrical bits to work. One window works (in reverse) but the other does nowt. Replaced the original Fiamm horn with modern one and What a Noise!
The uphostery guy had a hard tmie recovering the dash pad with one piece so he made it in two parts to the pattern then made a “French Stitch” I think he called it to bring them together. Excellent work and appearance. But the fitting and gluing made the pad not align well with where it goes, so we have a bit more fiddling. Why is everything getting harder as we get closer to being done?!